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Statue Honouring Healthcare Workers Fighting Coronavirus Unveiled In Latvia

Statue Honouring Healthcare Workers Fighting Coronavirus Unveiled In Latvia

The statue stands outside the National Art Museum and pays tribute to those on the front line of the fight against Covid-19

Tom Wood

Tom Wood

A large statue has been installed in Riga, the capital of Latvia, that honours all of the world's healthcare professionals fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

The 20-foot tall statue called 'Medics to the World' shows a female health worker standing wearing personal protective equipment and a stethoscope around her neck.

The worker stands with her outstretched arms to the sky, as if to welcome in the many patients that she's selflessly cared for through this crazy and unpredictable global crisis.

It is many things, but subtle ain't one of them.

Shutterstock

Regardless of that, it's a nice gesture to all the front line workers putting in the hours tirelessly to fight this deadly virus.

It stands outside the Latvian National Art Museum and was unveiled on Tuesday (16 June), according to the Arts Academy of Latvia.

One of the professors at that aforementioned academy, Aigars Bikše, is the sculptor behind this particular work.

He's known for his irreverent and political sculptures, but there doesn't seem to be anything subversive or any element of double entendre behind this piece, that's for sure.

The statue, according to the European League of Institutes of the Arts, is 'is dedicated to medics in Latvia and around the world, praising their selfless courage and care during the Covid-19 outbreak'.

Shutterstock

Mr Bikše told Latvian TV channel LSM.lv: "The three-month long lockdown period and fear for their lives has made the people change their perspective towards doctors, nurses and other medical staff.

"Many just now for the first time in their lives realised the vital importance of medical staff."

This is just one of the ways that people around the world have been paying tribute to the healthcare workers of their country and beyond.

Over here, while the clapping has now finished for the most part, footballers have been sporting NHS tributes as well as support for the Black Lives Matter movement on their shirts.

In other European countries, clapping and cheering - admittedly less organised - broke out as a way of celebrating the graft being performed by their medical and healthcare staff.

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In Istanbul, the clapping and cheering was joined by boats on the River Bosphorus sounding their horns in salute of the healthcare professionals.

Meanwhile, back in Latvia, 1,100 people have tested positive for the coronavirus as of Friday (19 June), and the latest figures show that 30 people have died.

Evidently the Latvian healthcare professional have been doing a stand-up job, and are richly deserving of the praise that's been bestowed upon them.

Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock

Topics: World News, Art, Coronavirus, Weird